Cool Video

[Kevin A]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUx3MU9iM6c

[Nitetimes]

I really like the old Spitfires, they are some of the sharpest planes!!

[doug hodder]

Cool video Kevin....nothing better than hearing an old WW2 piston engined bird flying....my dad would have loved it! Doug

[asianflava]

Amazing what you can do with plywood huh?

[Mary K]

Amazing what you can do with plywood huh?

Please Explain

Mk

[s4son]

I'm more of a Hurricane man myself but the Spitfire was one of the greatest planes built. I love the sound of those engines and the big radials too.

Scott F.

[madjack]

Amazing what you can do with plywood huh?

I could be wrong but the Spit was one of the earliest adapters of all metal construction...the Mosquito fighter/bomber WAS a ply and wood based airplane that was VERY successful at fulfilling its mission....
madjack

[asianflava]

Amazing what you can do with plywood huh?

I could be wrong but the Spit was one of the earliest adapters of all metal construction...the Mosquito fighter/bomber WAS a ply and wood based airplane that was VERY successful at fulfilling its mission....
madjack

Yessir you are correct, I was thinking bout the Mosquito which is called the "Wooden Wonder". I'm a Mustang fan myself, but it is more modern than the Spit so it's not a direct comparison. Either way, they all (Mustang, Spit, Mosqiuito) used the same engine, the Rolls Royce Merlin. Packard built them under license in the US.

[madjack]

...yep, the RR Merlin engine was an amazing powerplant...the Mustang, originally equipped with an Allison engine was considered a dog but with the Merlin, it became the premiere fighter of WWII(some Corsair drivers may disagree)......
madjack

[planovet]

the Mustang, originally equipped with an Allison engine was considered a dog but with the Merlin, it became the premiere fighter of WWII(some Corsair drivers may disagree)......

As will some P-38 drivers....

[angib]

I'm more of a Hurricane man myself but the Spitfire was one of the greatest planes built.

Unusually for a Brit, so am I. The Hurricane wasn't as fast or manoeuvrable as a Spitfire, but it was waay easier to build and repair so more Hurricanes could be put in the air on the very limited resources then available. In practice in the Battle of Britain, the Hurricanes attacked the bombers and the Spits attacked their fighter escort. It was ruddy lucky that they just happened to have both designs available as the Hurricanes couldn't beat the German fighters but if they only had Spitfires, they never would have had enough planes to do both jobs.

Andrew

[tonyj]

And I had no idea there were so many variants on the Spitfire:

http://www.spitfiresociety.demon.co.uk/whatmark.htm

[raprap]

There's a P-47 Thunderbolt on display at the local airport here that's in airworthy condition, it seems hat the refrigerator factory at the end of the airstrip built them during the big one. Nuttin in the world sound's quite like that double row Pratt.

What a monster! It huge as compared to it's single engine contemporaries. The Air museum in Dayton has one of them in display next to a Hellcat, a Mustang, a Me 109, a 262 and a Spitfire--it's kinda like a mere mortal standing next to "ShaQ", or in the Hoosier hills - "the Hick from French Lick."

Now from my time and perspective, my favorite (from the jet age) is the A-10. The attached video shows some great shots (heh-heh) of what happens when a warthog finds a moving foxhole.

Rap

[raprap]

And I had no idea there were so many variants on the Spitfire:

http://www.spitfiresociety.demon.co.uk/whatmark.htm

There are even three more prewar versions of the Supermarine when it was competing for the Schneider trophy during the 1930's (against the fathers of the ME109). It was so good that the Italians copied the airframe for the Macchi.

Rap